I had intended to wake up very early on Thursday to make it to Animal Kingdom for morning Extra Magic Hours (which started at 7 AM). But I had a lot of trouble leaving my cozy hotel bed when my alarm initially went off. The one thing that finally motivated me to get moving was remembering I could hit up Creature Comforts when I arrived at AK. I’m not an everyday Starbucks drinker, but I do like my morning caffeine, and it’s nice to walk around the parks with a warm coffee in hand.

Despite my late start, I didn’t end up doing too badly, as I was walking through the AK turnstiles by 8:20 AM. Uber from the hotel to Animal Kingdom was quick and easy, and the lines for bag check and Starbucks were not too long, so I had my holiday hot coffee in hand by 8:30 and could start my touring for the day.

I’d previously booked FastPasses to meet Mickey and Minnie as well as for Dinosaur and Kilimanjaro Safari, so I wasn’t sure what I would do upon arriving at the park. Sometimes my family will ride Expedition Everest first thing, but the brief backwards motion is not my favorite. Ultimately I decided I’d try for the Safari so I could either ride it again later or get a different FastPass. I finished my coffee while walking through the long (but relatively empty) safari queue and hopped on.

I have to say, that was one of my very favorite safari rides of all time. It was not crowded when we boarded the safari vehicle, so I had a whole row to myself and could scoot back and forth from side to side depending on where the animals were located. The keepers had just been dropping off breakfast for the animals, so many of them were visible and out in the open. Some of the animals that are usually hard to spot were front and center, including the hippos, the cheetah, and both male and female lions. The giraffes were on the move and walking very quickly in small groups, which was exciting to watch and photograph. It was such a good ride that I decided it couldn’t get any better for the day, and freed up my Safari FastPass for someone else.

Walking past the Tree of Life on my way to meet Mickey and Minnie, I noticed the park’s parrots flying and squawking overhead. I’m always happy to catch the Winged Encounters show because it’s really fun to see those smart macaws and parrots flying together and swooping overhead. After watching for a while and getting the obligatory picture of macaw tail feathers, I headed over to meet Mickey and Minnie. Yes, I found myself the only solo adult in line to meet our favorite mouse friends. But it’s a favorite tradition of mine, and I especially like meeting them at Animal Kingdom.

At this point, I had some time to kill before my Dinosaur FastPass, so I walked around the park to admire the holiday decorations. They’ve added more holiday wreaths, lights, and other decor over the years, and I like to take pictures of the parks in their seasonal finery. While I was walking I was able to experience two new-to-me encounters. First, I ran into Kevin the bird from Up. She was walking around the park squawking and interacting with people. At one point she bent down to look into one of the small food kiosks located over near Expedition Outpost. I can’t imagine what that looked like to the workers inside!

I also got to experience the new polar bear, wolf, and flying bird puppets that interact with guests near the Tree of Life. These are beautiful puppets and the handlers do a good job making them seem like real animals. While near the Tree of Life I walked around the Animal Kingdom shops to check out the new merchandise, especially the holiday items such as ornaments and small gifts.

As I walked by Expedition Everest, I noticed another park guest, grinning widely, walk past with a beer from one of my favorite little watering holes (Thirsty River Bar & Trek Snacks). It was 10:30 AM at this point, and I was on vacation, so I got my own brew to enjoy as I walked the rest of the park.

The park was definitely beginning to fill up, so I was pleased that I had a FastPass for Dinosaur as I entered Dinoland USA and got into the queue.

After Dinosaur (spoiler: we made it!) I walked through Pandora. Not many holiday decorations were visible there, and the crowds walking through on their way to ride Flights of Passage made it less attractive as a place to hang out and relax, so I headed over to one of my favorite spots on property: Nomad Lounge. It was still early enough that I was able to snag a two person table overlooking the “river.” My server told me I could order appetizers or small plates from Tiffins, so that made my lunch plans easy. I hung out there and relaxed for about an hour and a half. It was really lovely and a great way to wrap up my time at Animal Kingdom.

Next, I’ll head to Magic Kingdom for the Very Merry Christmas Party!

Travel | Epcot | Animal Kingdom | Very Merry Christmas Party

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